Bicycle racing is becoming an increasingly popular and competitive sport. In certain bicycle races, called time trials, a bicycle racer competes against other riders in an attempt to establish the lowest time needed to ride a given distance. In time trials, there is typically only one rider on a given section of the course at a time. Thus, the rider will not have the opportunity to reduce the amount of air resistance by "drafting" or riding directly behind another rider. Therefore, during these time trials, the aerodynamics of both the bicycle and the rider are very important. Many steps have heretofore been taken to reduce the drag or air resistance encountered by the bicycle rider.
Specialized bikes that incorporate a number of aerodynamic advantages are now used by riders in these time trial races. Power is consumed by three basic sources for these types of bicycles. The first source of power consumption is the aerodynamic drag caused by the bike and the rider. The second is the rolling resistance of the tires. The third source of power consumption is the aerodynamic drag caused by the spinning bicycle wheels. Therefore, one method of reducing power consumption, and therefore decreasing the time necessary to ride a given distance, is to reduce the aerodynamic drag caused by the bike and the rider.
The leading edge of a bicycle, which includes the handlebars of the bicycle, will encounter relatively calm air and will not be influenced by interaction with the bicycle rider's body. The bicycle handlebars are therefore responsible for a portion of the aerodynamic drag encountered by the bicycle rider. Therefore, by improving the overall aerodynamics of the handlebars, the aerodynamic drag encountered by the rider will also be improved.
A typical time trial bike will be equipped with "hook" handlebars that are sometimes called "cow horns". This type of handle bar is substantially u-shaped with the sides of the "u" pointing forwardly. The forward-most end of each side of this "u" is turned upwardly and is typically equipped with a standard brake lever. In operation, the rider will grasp the cow horns near the ends equipped with the standard brake levers. When the rider desires to slow or stop the bike, the rider will reach outwardly to grasp and then squeeze the brake lever. This, in turn, causes the brakes to be applied as is well-known in the art.
If the sides of the u-shaped handlebars were not turned upwardly at the ends, the rider would encounter an increased air resistance or drag caused by the standard brake lever extending below the end of the handlebar. As the drag or air resistance increases, the power necessary to maintain a desired speed increases. In an attempt to decrease the drag encountered by the rider, the ends of the handlebars are turned upwardly. This decreases the aerodynamic drag by decreasing the aerodynamic cross-sectional area presented by the handlebars and the brake lever. Thus, it is the standard brake levers that make it necessary to turn the ends of the handlebars upwardly.
In the past, some aerodynamic bicycles have minimized the aerodynamic drag caused by the handlebars by simply eliminating the standard hand grip altogether. In this arrangement, the handlebars are replaced by a much narrower elbow rest and grip. While this arrangement does result in a lower aerodynamic drag, it often makes the bicycle more difficult to control. Thus, this option is disadvantageous in a time trial where several turns are encountered and it is necessary to easily control the direction of the bicycle.
The standard brake lever is thus disadvantageous because it increases the aerodynamic drag encountered by the rider. The standard brake lever is additionally disadvantageous because it requires the rider to release his grasp about the handlebars. If the rider is grasping the handlebars when it is necessary to apply the brakes, the rider must first release his grasp about the handlebars and thereafter squeeze or apply a pulling force to the brake lever. Further, when the standard brake lever is used, the brake lever must be moved a significant distance in order to fully apply the brakes. Thus, the standard brake lever is disadvantageous because it requires the rider to engage in unneeded movement of the hands to apply the brakes, and because the brake lever must be moved a significant distance to fully apply the brakes.
Finally, when a rider is climbing a hill in a time trial, it is advantageous to grasp the handlebars at the widest point in order to gain increased leverage when pulling up on the handlebars. The typical cow horn handlebars are often wrapped with a grip in order to make it easier for the rider to grasp the handlebars. The handlebars are, however, often hard to grasp even with the added grip when climbing a hill, due to the small diameter of the handlebars.
Thus, a bicycle brake lever is needed that decreases the amount of aerodynamic drag encountered by the rider of a bicycle. Further, a bicycle brake lever is needed that reduces the effort required to fully apply the brake. Finally, a bicycle brake lever is needed that provides an improved gripping surface for a rider climbing a hill.